Hip House Docuseries on Comcast’s Black Experience
300 STUDIOS AND BLACK EXPERIENCE ON XFINITY TEAM UP TO RELEASE ORIGINAL DOCUSERIES HIP HOUSE
Three-part docuseries examines the birth, evolution, and collision of Hip Hop and House Music and features music industry legends Kevin Liles, Terry Hunter, Kelly G., and more
Series airs exclusively on Comcast’s Black Experience on Xfinity channel, the ultimate destination for Black storytelling and original content from Black talent
Watch the Trailer Here
In our DNA: Hip House: The story of how House music and Hip Hop joined together! This 3 part docuseries is a must see. This is history. In our DNA: Hip House is a timepiece that encapsulated many genres and the politics of the time. A series that transcends age, place of birth or musical preference. Jazz. Disco. Everything influences the next big thing in music, birthing new sounds because of the relentless effort and drive to build which is the source ot Hip Hop, of House, of all music!
In our DNA: Hip House shows a togetherness not often seen in music docs. Ones that focus on a person, or city. This series is led by a cast of many great creators, and they’re all praising each other. So many legends of House & Hip Hop and Hip House, each with stories you’ve probably never heard before.
For those of us in Chicago, we know Terry Hunter as a humble genius. As sure as we can often take for granted the rich history here, we also don’t know all the history here. Terry and other amazing legends from many cities, share store stories and encounters that really show you exactly where, how and why House and Hip Hop became one for a time and how it’s still a force today.
We also caught up with House legend Lori Branch at the premiere in Chicago. Her message for us all is what this documentary is all about. Community. “This history teaches us that we were all present for the moment. Present with the music. Present with the moment. People weren’t looking into their phones, they weren’t staring at the DJ necessarily. They were in the moment. That’s something we may have lost a little bit. So I’m happy we’re talking about the history, it’s more than the music. It’s the MOMENT.”
Words from the Premier: Raven Winter Smith @EnergyandVibe | @RavenWanderlust
Photo Credits: Parrish Lewis/Getty Images for Comcast Xfinity
(L-R) Panelists – Head of Creative Content Strategy at 300 Entertainment Kelly G., Chicago DJ and producer Emmaculate aka Eric Welton, General Manager of 300 Studios Nolan Baynes, Entertainment Emerging Products at Comcast Keesha Boyd and 3x GRAMMY-Nominated DJ Terry Hunter share insight on the creation of the docuseries at the Black Experience Xfinity and 300 Studios In Our DNA: Hip House premiere at the historical Vic Theatre in Chicago on December 6, 2023.
(L-R) Head of Creative Content Strategy at 300 Entertainment Kelly G., Manager, Multicultural Entertainment Initiatives at Comcast Shayla Anderson, General Manager of 300 Studios Nolan Baynes, Executive Director, Vice President, Entertainment Emerging Products at Comcast Keesha Boyd, 3x GRAMMY-Nominated DJ Terry Hunter, Director, Impact & Inclusion at Xfinity Caroline Kim and Chicago DJ and producer Emmaculate aka Eric Welton on the black carpet at the Black Experience Xfinity and 300 Studios In Our DNA: Hip House premiere at the historical Vic Theatre in Chicago on December 6, 2023.
OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
300 Studios and Comcast NBCUniversal announced the premiere of Hip House, a three-part docuseries that examines the birth, evolution, and collision of Hip Hop and House Music, airing exclusively on Comcast’s Black Experience on Xfinity channel and Xumo. 300 Studios – the content and film division of 300 Entertainment – was established in 2022 and won the Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary Series with their debut project “RACE: Bubba Wallace.” Launched in 2021, Black Experience on Xfinity features the ultimate in Black storytelling from Black programming partners and film studios and has released a variety of original documentaries, like Hip House, showcasing Black talent and content creators.
Hip House examines the unique conditions in the 1970s and 1980s that birthed both the Hip Hop and House Music movements, the collision of the two genres, the stars, the songs, and the movement that followed. The series will also spotlight the long-lasting impact on contemporary music, the paths that Hip Hop and House ultimately took, as well as the massive financial disparity between “mainstream” music and the predominantly underground genres. Finally, the series will explore the future of the genre and the current shift in the music industry that is reigniting a demand and rediscovery of the genre, 50 years in the making.
“300 Studios is dedicated to finding and telling unique stories about our unsung heroes throughout our culture,” said Kevin Liles, Chairman and CEO of 300 Elektra Entertainment. “We are proud to have such an amazing partner with Comcast and Black Experience On Xfinity who immediately understood how important it was to produce this story about young black kids who pioneered Chicago House and how it ultimately collided with Hip Hop to create a new sound and genre that still influences todays artists and music”
During the 1970s and 1980s, America experienced a seismic shift in the struggle for social justice. Women, African Americans, and multiple underrepresented communities were simultaneously fighting for equality. The unique socio-economical, racial and music-industry conditions of the time helped drive the creation of both Hip Hop and House Music. It was the need to voice one’s pain and aspirations that could not be held back.
Born in New York City, Hip Hop was picking up steam in the late 80s, establishing itself as a viable business and capturing the hearts and minds of young people beyond the inner cities. As Hip Hop grew beyond the streets of New York City, it began infiltrating the imaginations of young creatives all over the country. Other regions began interpreting the genre differently, and Hip Hop went from a unique East Coast sound to rich and imaginative renditions from cities like Los Angeles, Miami, Detroit, Baltimore, New Orleans, and Chicago.
However, it was the Chicago music scene that would blend the infectious soulful dance beats, to create a new genre: House Music. An amazing synergy was born and dominated the radio waves with a new danceable rap subgenre that contributed to making Hip Hop pop music. It was the dawn of Hip House. When the two movements began to cross-pollinate the energy of rebellion, and empowerment began to take shape, the fusion sparked a tantalizing and vital chapter in music history. This seemingly random merge of Hip Hop and House added gas to a youth movement that would turn into a multi-billion-dollar industry and change the landscape of music and American culture forever.
“It is said that music is a mirror of an artist’s reality, and his/her reality is written in part by society. Show me a revolution in music, art, and culture and I’ll show you a society screaming to evolve,” said Keesha Boyd, Executive Producer for Hip House and VP, Emerging Growth Offerings at Comcast. “By providing a platform for the documentary that explores this reality, through Black Experience on Xfinity, it is our hope to bring this rich history to new audiences who may not have been aware of this revolution in music.”
Black Experience on Xfinity is a first-of-its-kind destination of Black entertainment, movies, TV shows, news and more. Available at home on Xfinity X1 and Flex, and on-the-go with the Xfinity Stream app, the Black Experience on Xfinity features original and high-quality content from Comcast NBCUniversal and other major studios, in addition to content from many of Xfinity’s existing network partners, at no additional cost to Xfinity customers. The channel is the only one of its kind endorsed by the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA), the world’s largest group of Black film critics that gives annual awards for excellence in film and television.
Xfinity customers can access the Black Experience on channel 1622 or simply say “Black Experience” into the Voice Remote to instantly enjoy the ultimate in Black storytelling. Non-Xfinity customers will be able to view Hip House on Xumo Play, Comcast and Charter’s free ad-supported streaming service app.
